Foldable phone launched by Chinese company Royole

Royole Corporation unveiled its FlexPai smartphone at an event in Beijing, on Oct 31.

PHOTO: Twitter/Royole Corporation

Chinese company Royole Corporation has launched what may be the world's first foldable phone.

The company, which specialises in manufacturing flexible displays, unveiled its FlexPai smartphone on Wednesday (Oct 31) at an event in Beijing.

The device has a 19.8cm screen with a thickness of 7.6mm and can fold in half, which would then split the screen into three separate smaller screens on the front, rear and spine. It weighs 320g, over 50 per cent more than the iPhone XS Max or Galaxy Note 9, both weighing slightly over 200g.

Royole said that the Flexpai had been tested to withstand more than 200,000 open-and-shut movements, meaning it should offer years of use before any damage to the picture, reported BBC.

"It is a historical moment that we have been waiting for years (to see)," said Bill Liu Zihong, 35, co-founder, chairman and chief executive of the company.